These woods,
my church,
these words,
my sanctuary.
Standing in the uncertain light,
My ears ring with this noisy silence,
racket of birds, wind, water.
I breathe fully,
feelings surging,
heart full.
My body is brimming with spring,
I feel transparent and green.
Again, this feeling in my chest,
upwelling love,
rushing joy,
I throw my eyes at the sky.
And wheeling through blue, tightly,
a murmuration,
controlled,
synchronous.
I kneel in the muck,
plant life crushed beneath me,
unsettled restlessness dissipating,
uncontainable, at peace.
Tanya Fenkell is a Toronto-based writer and artist working primarily in watercolour. Currently, she spends most of her time raising three sons. Her paintings are held in several private collections in Canada and the United States.